Indiana Hops Jump Starting Region Beers

It’s a match made right here in Northwest Indiana — a local farmer growing hops used by local craft breweries to make signature beer.

It’s also the fulfillment of a dream for both the farmer and the brew masters.

Steve Howe, who grew up in Highland and spent his summers working on a farm in Terre Haute, grows six varieties of hops at Howe Farms in Winfield on two acres he first tilled in 2013.

“There are hundreds of different varieties of hops used in brewing,” Howe said. “They’re used for bittering, aromatics and flavor. Our varieties cover all the basics — fruity, lemony, spicy, bitter.”

Howe started planting hops as the craft beer market blossomed.

“It’s one of the fun things for a family to do. There’s nothing more important than family,” said Howe, who is teaching his young children how crops are grown.

The craft beer scene embodies “creativity and artistry. There are no boundaries,” said Howe, who sells to Four Fathers Brewery, in Valparaiso, and Route 2 Brewery, in Lowell. He also sells hops to home brewers… CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL STORY AT NWI TIMES